FPV News

At the same time as it introduced the new Falcon GT R-Spec sedan in Melbourne, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) also displayed the most limited of all limited-edition utes it has ever built.Only available in Silhouette (a very black black) with Vixen stripes and accents, the FPV Pursuit ute will be limited to just 75 units. The latest FPV Pursuit Ute has a GT colour-coded front bumper and eight-inch alloy wheels in the same design as the nine-inch units fitted to the GT R-Spec.The Pursuit has the standard features of the current GS ute, to which have been added a Pursuit badge across the tailgate and a GT colour-coded bumper that ties in nicely with the decal pack featuring FPV’s ‘C’ stripe. The rear end treatment finishes with black painted exhaust tips.This eye-catching colour scheme, together with the special decals, lifts the looks of the already good FPV body modifications. The result is a true Aussie designed and built ute that really stands out on the road or at the owner’s favourite hangout.Inside, the latest FPV ute has Shadow leather sports seats, a stylish piano black interior finish around the ICC unit, the tissue box and the door spears. The gear lever on the manual has a new badge design. Entertainment is provided by Ford’s Premium Sound system. Suna traffic control makes life easier.The limited edition Pursuit Ute is powered by the FPV modified all-aluminium 315 kW 5.0-litre Harrop-supercharged V8 engine producing 545 Nm of torque between 2000 and 5500 rpm. The engine is based on the Boss unit built for the Ford Mustang in the United States, but gets quite a few modifications after it hits the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) workshop in Melbourne.As well as the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the FPV Pursuit Ute has the option of a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential sports shifts. The recommended manufacturer's list price for the limited edition FPV Pursuit ute is $57,990, on-road and governments charges have to be added. The Pursuit ute is sold only at participating FPV dealers. 

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

Even at a time when fuel economy is top-of-mind with a growing number of Australian drivers there is plenty of space on the roads for Commodores and Falcons with old-fashioned V8 muscle under the bonnet. They burble menacingly at idle. They are the backbone of V8 Supercar racing.Yet V8s in the 21st century are not what they were in the days when they first conquered Mount Panorama and a GTHO Falcon or a Monaro - or even a Valiant V8 - was a dream machine for a generation of Aussie youngsters.Since 1970 the crude oil price has exploded from $20 a barrel to double that amount during the Iran revolution, over $70 during the first Gulf War, broke through the $100 barrier ahead of the Global Financial Crisis and has now settled at just below $100.In Australia, petrol prices have correspondingly risen from about 8c a litre in 1970 to about 50c in 1984 and almost $1.50 today.Despite all this, and despite one attempt at a death sentence by Ford in the 1980s, the V8 has not been wiped from Australian showrooms. Holden and Ford have continued to produce large cars with a V8 alternative and continue to slog it out at Bathurst.But Australian cars, even the ones that now have American V8s imported for local use, are not the only bent-eight blasters on the road.Germans are prolific builders of V8s and produce some of the most powerful engines in the world thanks to AMG-Mercedes, BMW and Audi. English V8s are built by Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, while the Americans provide V8s in the Chrysler 300C sold here. Even the Japanese luxury brand Lexus has a V8 in its IS F hero and its luxury saloon LS460, as well as the LandCruiser-cloned LX470.Most V8s are powerful enough breathing ordinary air, but there are many forced-induction models with either turbo or supercharging to liberate even more power. Walkinshaw Performance does the job in Australia for Holden, BMW is going down the turbo V8 road for its latest M cars and Benz had a time with a supercharged AMG V8.But V8s are not just about unrestricted power. The push for greater fuel economy has also reached V8 land and so Chrysler and Holden have V8s with multiple displacement technology which shuts down half the cylinders when the car is just cruising to improve fuel economy. Formula One racing engines now do the same thing when they are idling on a grand prix starting grid.Holden's Active Fuel Management (AFM) was introduced on the V8 Commodore and Caprice in 2008 and the red lion brand is committed to the engine - with future technology updates - despite near-record fuel prices."It is incumbent on us to keep it relevant and continue introducing new technology that delivers on our customers' needs," says Holden's Shayna Welsh.Holden has the biggest stake in V8s with more models than any other company selling in Australia. It has a total of 12 models with V8 engines across four nameplates and four body styles, including Commodore SS, SS V, Calais V, Caprice V and the recently introduced Redline range. V8s account for about one quarter of Commodore sedan sales and almost half of Ute sales."We see it as being more than just the V8 engine - it's about the entire car. It's the whole performance package that appeals to people and we want to continue making cars that people are proud to own," Welsh says."The combination of features and technology, great handling and braking and outstanding value is consistent across our V8 model range."Ford fans are also committed to V8s, according to company spokesperson Sinead McAlary, who says a recent Facebook survey was overwhelmingly positive."We asked whether they worry about petrol prices and they say 'No, it's the sound of the V8 we love and we are prepared to pay the price'," she says.Both Ford and Holden also have performance divisions where the V8 was, and still is, king. Ford's is Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Holden's is Holden Special Vehicles (HSV).HSV marketing manager Tim Jackson says their sales are "on par" with last year."That's despite the fact that last year we had the limited edition GX-P which is an entry level product for us," he says. "We don't have that model in our range at all this year and you would expect numbers to come off, but we've been able to maintain sales volume."All of HSV's range are powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine (6200cc 317kW-325kW), while the opposition at FPV has gained the kilowatt advantage with forced induction (supercharged 5000cc 315kW-335kW).Jackson says their LS3 V8 has been "validated" by customers."We're not getting guys screaming at us to go turbocharging. The LS3 is an extraordinary unit. It's a light engine with a good power-to-weight figure. There is not a turbo engine that would do it for us at the right development cost. But I wouldn't rule it (turbo) out or rule it in."Jackson says there have been no repercussions from the rise in petrol prices."Our customers don't have other choices in their repertoire," he says. "A small car doesn't suit them and they're not into an SUV. They're of a certain level where the whole cost of running the car is easy for them to absorb."The top-selling HSV is the ClubSport R8, followed by the Maloo R8, then GTS.However, the greatest HSV in history is debatable, Jackson says.HSV engineering boss Joel Stoddart prefers the all-wheel-drive Coupe4 and sales boss Darren Bowler the SV5000."The Coupe4 is special because of its engineering but I like the W427 because it's the fastest," Jackson says.FPV boss Rod Barrett says they are also experiencing strong sales growth. He says they sold about 500 cars in the first quarter, which is up 32 per cent on the previous year. He also says sales of the F6 have slowed since the launch of the supercharged V8 engine variants late last year, as customers "opt for power". Ford no longer offers a V8 with the demise of the XR8 sedan and ute last year."Our middle name is performance so we have all the V8s," Barrett says. "When we were launching this new supercharged car all the V8s came across here."Barrett says their supercharged engine has changed people's minds about "dinosaur V8s"."The turbocharged F6 was a cult hero car in its day and people thought a V8 was a low-tech dinosaur," he says. "But when we produced a high-tech all-alloy five-litre supercharged V8 built in Australia people started to think that V8s aren't all that bad after all. I'm not seeing the demise of the V8 just yet, but for us, the future is hi-tech."The supercharged 5.0Litre V8 335kW FPV GT continues to be FPV's top-selling vehicle followed closely by the supercharged V8 5.0 litre 315kW GS sedan and GS ute.Barrett believes the current GT is the best FPV car yet with its segment-leading power, light weight and improved fuel economy."However, I think our most iconic car was the 2007 BF Mk II 302kW Cobra in white with blue stripes. That car brought back the passion of '78 with the original Cobra. If you have a look at the second-hand prices, they are still holding up very well" he says.

The general manager of the performance car maker doesn't want to be remembered as the bloke who ruined the GT-HO legend.  Speaking during the company's launch of the new supercharged V8 Falcon-based range - to go on sale in late October after its Australian International Motor Show appearance in Sydney - Barrett clearly wants to do something like a GT-HO.But understandably he has concerns about ruining the legend of the car and its legendary status.  "I will stand by my declaration that I have always wanted to build one but I'm up against a considerable weight of opinion that says we shouldn't," he says.A special project car still seems likely - with ample scope for running more boost pressure on the V8 but minus the famed badge - and Barrett is hoping to do something that will be looked back upon in 30 years time with similar fondness."GT-HO is not just a car, it's a legend and I don't want to be the one who stuffs it up," he says.  More forays into the SUV and small car segments have also been put on ice with the arrival of the Focus RS and customers can expect FPV to concentrate for now on its primary niche - faster Falcons."I firmly believe we will return to being the GT car company.  "We've gone away from that - we've built the brand but I think in the next 6 to 12 months we'll get people back," he says.While current sales figures are down on 2009, Barrett is confident the engine upgrade will put the FPV brand back on track.  "We haven't built any V8s since the end of May, there was no production at all in July… it's been geared around this launch."Next year we'll get back over 2000 units and close the gap on our main competitor - I'd like to see us surpass them toward the end of next year, in terms of Commodore versus Falcon sales," he says.Exports any further than the New Zealand market are unlikely but Prodrive Asia-Pacific managing director Bryan Mears believes the engine has a range of applications beyond FPV."In terms of development of the Coyote engine, and the way that we have developed it - I believe that is unique within the Ford and Prodrive world and I will certainly be looking to make that engine available globally to Ford."I'm not privy to what their plans are, so they may have other things in view," he says. The Australian business has produced a terrific Australian engine and we will be pushing every opportunity to maximise the production of that engine.”

They cannot help starting a stoush when their deadliest rival has something important happening.So, in the same week Team Red rips the covers off the Series II version of its VE Commodore the members of Team Blue have news on the Coyote V8 for the latest Ford Performance Vehicles tweak. Except that it's now called Miami...It's classic stuff and a reminder of the importance of cars - and homegrown hero cars - to ordinary Australians.The FPV V8 numbers are impressive and so is news that the engine could actually be re-exported to the USA after the local tweaking that includes a supercharger package from the classy Harrop Engineering. Most people, including Carsguide, expected FPV to take most of the engine upgrade from America but the company has spent $40 million doing the job right on home ground.It's just a pity that the upcoming FPV GT will not have much in the way of visual changes to flag its benchmark performance.Over at Holden, it's a big week with VEII and news of a fresh export program to Brazil, complete with a sales campaign built around motorsport legend - double world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner- Emerson Fittipaldi.We've known for more than a year that Holden's big focus for VEII is what it calls flex-fuel engines, with the ability to run on E85 ethanol fuel. It's the same stuff which has been used by the V8 Supercar racer since the start of last year.Carsguide is not convinced the E85 ability will win too many private buyers to the car, particularly with only a handful of service stations currently pumping the stuff and range limitations for the fuel, but could be a powerful incentive for major fleet buyers.The real change is that a local carmaker is pushing ahead on ethanol, a fuel with serious potential in Australia because it can be made from sugar can off-cuts. Even better, Holden is tapped into a program led by an American company - Coskata - that is working on a process to extract ethanol from rubbish that currently goes into landfill.Holden's E85 push is also giving the oil companies a solid shove on a greener fuel and that's got to be a good thing, too. 

Rod Barrett led the driving crew on a deep dip into the heart of Australia with a pair of FPV test cars fitted with the upcoming Coyote V8 engine.  He is not talking detail on the new GT, which comes to showrooms in the final quarter of this year, even though the test cars are obviously fitted with the four-pipe exhaust system coming on the updated and upgraded FPV flagship.Barrett put 10 days of driving into two cars, taking a loop run up to Darwin and back from FPV headquarters in Melbourne before a final sign- off on the new car.  "One was a new GT mule and the other one was our, let's just call it our 'new V8'," Barrett laughs."The run was for mileage accumulation. We need to put at least 30,000 kilometres on one car and a significant amount more on the other car with the 'new V8'.  "I was going to Darwin anyway for the V8 Supercar round. So we mapped a course north. The engineers flew up and did some hot tests and then we came back through Mount Isa."Barrett says the long drive was a major education on the engineering work that goes into a new FPV model. The only unplanned stoppage was to change a tyre.  "It's good for me. There is a five-page form for me to fill out every night," he says."I drive it not like an engineer, but like a punter. So it was good.  "It was like a working holiday. I had 10 days behind the wheel and up to 980 kilometres in a day."Not surprisingly, Barrett describes the coming Coyote-powered FPV as ‘a phenomenal car’, without going into any details on performance or the vital emissions changes to meet legal changes in Australia.  He says the Coyote change is the biggest in at least seven years, since FPV first put its current 5.4-litre V8 into the Falcon."The whole car changes because of that powerplant. There are lots of new things, like the next exhaust," Barrett says.  "I'm now looking forward to the release. For all the cars with the 'new V8' we're aiming for the motor show in Sydney and Bathurst, that sort of timing."

I might not be racing a car, but I'm racing around doing a lot of PR as are most of the drivers.  And the teams are also playing catch up on work, plus catch-up on a well-deserved break.Our workshop has plenty of work to do building a brand new race car for Skaifey and me for Phillip Island in September and Bathurst in October.  The benefit of this break is that we can also rotate our staff through some holidays to catch up with some well-deserved rest because they worked right through Christmas last year to get our new Holdens built.  So we basically have a skeleton crew on all the time at our Banyo headquarters.Mark is really excited about the new race car.  We both have to get comfortable in the car which is difficult for him and me because he has longer legs and a shorter torso than me.So getting the seat, steering wheel and pedals in a comfortable position for both of us will end up as a bit of a compromise.  I will have to stretch a bit more to the pedals, but I'll be closer to wheel.We drove together for HRT in 1999 and had a two-stage steering column we could push or pull about an inch, which is something our team is looking at.  Obviously you can't change the seat which is anchored down, so our legs will be a bit compromised for space, but we've got away with it in the past.Speaking of car-building, it's good to see V8 Supercars has now started building two prototypes to iron out any problems before the teams start building their race cars.  It's definitely a good concept and will make racing cheaper.However, with the chassis and components identical and only different Ford and Commodore shells, there is some skepticism among the fans about retaining that all-important Ford-Holden rivalry.  The teams will also have a challenge coming to terms with some of the technical issues such as the 100kg lighter weight and independent rear end.I hear they are thinking of staying with the spool diff, but having a custom housing so we can swap in a Detroit Locker or Salisbury. Interesting to hear that we may get those options for varying circuits and conditions.Our team, along with FPR, HRT and SBR have been testing various diffs to get the feel of where they work and where they don't, how they hook up and how they change the feel of the car.  Either has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter to me which one they go with.We've given our feedback and now it's up to the category to make their decision.  The idea is to allow more passing, particularly for drivers to dive down the inside into a corner and still have enough turn to be able to avoid running into the side of the car they are passing.All drivers are scared of that because you don't want to gain a place only to cop a points penalty through contact.  The other reason for the possible change of diff is to minimise the amount of damage our cars are doing to the tracks.The initial cost of all the car of the future changes will be huge, but in the long term it will be cheaper on running costs.  It should also make it safer with bigger wheels and brakes, and lighter cars.I was surprised and delighted at the weekend to see that Valentino Rossi has made a comeback to MotoGP just weeks after breaking his leg.  The sport really needs a charismatic rider like him and it was almost a fairytale comeback with a fourth place, denied of a podium by our very own Casey Stoner.No doubt he would have had the best doctors, best prep and best recovery, but it still takes an enormous  amount of personal courage and talent to come back so quickly after the biggest accident of his career and then to perform so well.  What a star.I'll also see a few F1 stars when my wife, Nat, and I fly to Europe for the Spanish GP in August.  However, I'm a little disappointed because I have to fly home before the Sunday race for a rookie day and test day the next week.  It would have been nice to see Mark Webber win another race, but at least we will be there for the practice and qualifying.

More than 20 years after he hung up his helmet - although he never 'officially' retired - he is now the elder statesman on the test team at Ford Performance Vehicles.  Moffat's advice and tweaks are part of the development program for every new FPV model these days, which is why he is caught by a Carsguide reader during a drive yesterday in a thumping FPV GT.There is more to new-model development than straight-out track time, which is why the Moffat run is happening on public roads close to the FPV base at Broadmeadows and why the bonnet is up for investigation work in one of the pictures.Moffat has only come back into the official Ford family this year despite his many successes for the blue oval brand at Bathurst and in the Australian touring car championship.  His final season as a driver, in 1989, was spent driving a turbocharged Ford Sierra and he won his very last start - sharing the car with Klaus Niedzwiedz for victory in the Fuji 500 in Japan.Although the GT is a regular production car, FPV is now into final development of the upcoming Coyote-powered V8 models which pick up the latest engine developments from the USA.

But peak motoring body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries believes consumers are confused enough to warrant a broad-ranging education program about what ESC is and what it does.The Transport Accident Commission has already been running an ad highlighting the merits of curtain airbags and ESC. It has been endeavouring to lift awareness among buyers about what they do, via websites like howsafeisyourcar.com.au.But with Victoria moving ahead for the compulsory fitting of ESC to all passenger cars from January, the FCAI believes now is the time to increase awareness among car buyers.Despite TAC's efforts some carmakers like Honda believe consumers are still confused by the different acronyms used to describe the various systems. However, FCAI spokesman, James Goodwin, believes it will be difficult to mandate a single naming strategy."It comes down to marketing," he says. "All systems are different to some degree."Goodwin also believes it would cost too much to standardise the terminology on imported cars because the volumes are relatively small. Carmakers use different terms for the proprietary electronic stability program invented by Bosch and co-developed with Mercedes-Benz.Subaru Australia spokesman, David Rowley, says Subaru's own research shows a higher awareness among buyers of its own electronic stability control system, called vehicle dynamic control."Our customers tend to look in depth at the features of our cars," Rowley says. He backs an education program as “something worth considering" but balks at a name change. "A lot a brands have invested a lot of intellectual time in creating a point of difference with their various stability systems," he says.What they call it -Electronic Stability Control (ESC) - Holden, HSV, JeepElectronic Stability Program (ESP) - Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Skoda, Peugeot, SuzukiDynamic Stability Control (DSC) - Ford, FPV, BMW, Mazda, Land Rover, Aston Martin, JaguarVehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) - ToyotaVehicle Stability Control (VSC) - LexusVehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) - Nissan, SubaruDynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) - VolvoElectronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) - Audi, VolkswagenActive Stability Control (ASC) - MitsubishiVehicle Stability Assist (VSA)- HondaAutomatic Stability Control + Traction (ASC+T)  MiniMaserati Stability Program (MSP) - MaseratiPorsche Stability Management (PSM) - PorscheStability and Traction Control - FiatStabiliTrak -Hummer

The most successful driver to strap into a Ford, with four Bathurst wins and a matching set of touring car championship trophies, has just been brought back into the blue oval family.Moffat has been mostly ignored for the past two decades - and not just because he chose to race for Mazda and Holden after his Mustang and Falcon heydays - although he managed to do nicely as a driving instructor with BMW, which kept him in a classy car for a long time.  It seemed like nobody at Broadmeadows knew what they had.Yet Moffat is a dead-set legend and draws Brock-sized crowds whenever he shows up at a motoring or motorsport event. Ordinary people want to talk to him, want his autograph, want to stand beside him for a picture.His new job as an ambassador for Ford Performance Vehicles shows the company he championed is finally getting serious about leveraging its success and its heroes.Dick Johnson is also back in the family, after being punted at the end of 2008, Ford has finally appointed a new motorsport manager in former F1 man Chris Styring, and Moffat's speedy son James has been recruited as part of the Ford Performance Racing squad for 2010.The push comes right from the top, as Ford Australia's latest president knows the value of history and heritage and heroes. It's taken Marin Burela a while to get things in place, but he promised action when he hit Bathurst last year and he has now delivered.Moffat will do a great job for FPV and Ford, but it's Styring who has the big challenge. Ford has only eight cars in this year's V8 Supercar championship and that means he has to do the best with what he has while also building for the future.Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney are quick and promotable, but Ford also managed to punt the crack Triple Eight team under previous bosses so Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes are now part of the red team at Holden. And that is going to hurt.Still, something is better than nothing and Ford has a lot of good stuff to celebrate. Now it needs to to tell the rest of Australia that it's committed to the Falcon and the new generation building their own legends in the mold of Moffat.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!